1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a saw table and, more specifically, a clamping mechanism for use on a saw table.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Saw tables are known in the building construction and remodeling industry. Typically, a saw is mounted on the saw table for cutting a work piece, such as vinyl siding, aluminum siding, tile, steel, half-wrapped log siding, textured ceiling tile, etc. Since cutting such materials by hand leads to inaccurate and unusable parts, which then must be scrapped, the saw tables have gained wide appeal in the above-mentioned industries.
The saw table typically includes a table base, which stabilizes the work piece and allows a user to precisely position the work piece with respect to the saw to perform desired cuts of various angles and orientations. A pair of tracks extend parallel to each other across the saw table, and a saw cradle is slidably supported by the tracks for rectilinear movement along the tracks.
For performing the desired cuts on saw tables of the prior art, the work piece is positioned on the table base at a desired angle in relation to the saw. The work piece is held in place, usually by hand, to perform the operation. Thus, significant care must be taken by operators to keep hands out of the path of the saw while preventing the work piece from deviating from the desired position. In response to this problem, several solutions have been developed in the prior art.
For example, it is known to provide a C-clamp on the table base described above for holding the work piece in place. Although the C-clamp is an inexpensive solution to the aforementioned problem of holding the work piece in place, multiple C-clamps are necessary are different points along a length of the work piece to prevent the work piece from rotating when contacted by the saw. In addition, installing the C-clamps to clamp the work piece against the table base is tedious, labor-intensive, time-consuming, and inefficient.
More elaborate clamping mechanisms have also been developed for clamping the work piece on the saw table. U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,704 discloses a saw table that includes an actuation bar having a first end and a second end operatively connected to clamping blocks. The clamping blocks are each disposed on a guide rod. A first pivoting screw is connected to the first end of the actuation bar, and a second pivoting screw is connected to the second end of the clamping bar. The screws are threaded through the respective clamping blocks for pivotal movement about a pivot axis. The pivotal movement of the screws clamps or releases the clamping blocks from the guide rods. Thus, the clamping bar may be pivoted in one direction to clamp the clamping blocks, and thus the work piece, and in the opposite direction to release the clamping blocks. However, such a clamping mechanism is complicated and requires numerous moving parts that function together to perform the clamping function. This increases the cost of the saw table, yet is still labor-intensive. Operation of the clamping mechanism by clamping and releasing the mechanism may also be tedious, labor intensive, time consuming, and inefficient. Furthermore, the clamping mechanism has set positions, and cannot compensate for work pieces of various thicknesses during operation without preadjustment for the specific work piece on the saw table. As a result, insufficient or excessive clamping force may be provided by the clamping mechanism absent further features that add even more complexity to the clamping mechanism.
Despite the efforts in the prior art to develop the aforementioned clamping mechanisms, there remains an opportunity to develop less complex clamping mechanisms that are less expensive, yet improve the speed and efficiency with which the work piece may be clamped to the table base without sacrificing the stability or clamping force with which the work piece is clamped to the table base.